Psalm 1
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Rev. Jim Bogle, given March 25, 2007
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Psalm 1 speaks of the contrast between the happiness
of the godly man and the judgment of the ungodly man. And when we understand
that the godly man is on his way to glory and the ungodly to eternal judgment,
we understand why one is happy and, for the most part, the other is unsettled,
unfulfilled, hungry, and dissatisfied.
So here, the Psalmist speaks of two men, two ways,
and two destines. The way of the righteous leads to eternal
life. The way of the wicked leads to eternal death
First we discover the man who is blessed.
Psalm 1:1
1: Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in
the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful.
This is a picture of a righteous and happy person. This
is the picture of the one that wants to please their LORD and Savior.
To "walk not in the ways of the ungodly"
expresses not only the intent and desire to walk in the ways of God, but to
actually live out those intentions and desires, not just on Sunday morning, but
throughout the whole of the week.
Matthew 5:16
[Jesus said,] Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When the light of truth, honesty, integrity,
faithfulness, and love for God and for others shines forth from the Christian
heart, this is walking in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is the
godly walk that cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Walking with Christ day after day is a spiritually
refreshing walk!
This is the picture of the righteous and happy man. It
is also the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus is the one who brings righteousness
into this world.
He walked in the ways of
his heavenly Father.
He
walked in the paths of righteousness in complete obedience to His loving
Father.
John 8:29
29: And he that sent me is with me: the Father
hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
John 5:20
For the Father loveth
the Son, and sheweth him all
things that himself doeth: and he will shew him
greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Just as the Lord Jesus Christ set the example for
all that will come after Him, the Godly man will walk in the ways of the Lord
Jesus Christ, seeking to bring praise honor and glory to HIM!
The wrist band or necklace trinket that reads “WWJD”
is such a powerful witness and reminder of our need to walk daily in the light
of Christ’s love, and to show that love to others.
Any other walk, is a walk away from, or down from,
spiritual blessings.
Eve listened to the counsel of the ungodly and she
lost a beautiful home in a beautiful paradise. But even more than that, she
lost her personal walk and relationship with Christ! She became a finger-pointer and a
self-protector.
Yet Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked in the
wilderness with God and were men blessed beyond measure.
Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Psalm 1:2-3
2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
The Law of the Lord today is love for God and your
neighbor. Delighting in the law of the LORD is serving one another! It is
meditating upon the things of God.
The Bible is more than just a nice book to carry to
church. It is the true roadmap that leads to life, liberty, and the true
pursuit of happiness!
The Godly man or woman will delight themselves in a
daily walk with Christ, and daily meditate upon His Word.
3: And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water…
Lord knows, we need to be spiritually planted in
this day and hour that we live in! The only way to be planted is by trusting
and feeding upon the Word of God daily —
fellowshipping with God’s people as often as possible; encouraging one another
and supporting one another in the LORD!
Planted by the rivers of water – here is a wonderful
and beautiful symbol of complete spiritual refreshment and rest!
Psalm 23:1-3
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the
still waters.
3: He restoreth my
soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
When we delight ourselves in the LORD, we walk daily
in His presence, the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with peace, our souls are
restored, and we are refreshed.
Psalm 1:3
3: And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
One day we are all going to be farmers.
Isaiah 2:4
And he shall judge among the nations, and
shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more.
Revelation 22:1-5
1: And he shewed me
a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb.
2: In the midst of the street of it, and on
either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations.
3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it;
and his servants shall serve him:
4: And they shall see his face; and his name
shall be in their foreheads.
5: And there shall be no night there; and they
need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth
them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
THESE ARE PRECIOUS PROMISES
TO DELIGHT IN, and the man that walks in the ways of the LORD shall be....
Psalm 1:3-4
3: ...like a tree planted by the rivers of
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
This is way of the godly man — standing on the promises of God!
HIS WAY IS THE WAY OF CHRIST.
HIS DESTINY IS THE
HIS
DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD!
THEN THERE IS THE WAY OF THE UNGODLY
4: The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff
which the wind driveth away.
THEY HAVE NO SURE-FIRE PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH THEY
LIVE. THEY ARE LIKE THE CHAFF BLOWN AWAY IN THE WIND. THEY HAVE ACCEPTED THIS
WORLD AS THEIR ONLY HEAVEN! THEY LIVE FOR THE WORLD AS IF DEATH WILL NEVER
KNOCK AT THEIR HEART’S DOOR.
BUT DEATH WILL COME TO ALL, AND THEN WILL COME GOD’S
JUDGMENT!
THE DESTINY OF THE UNGODY
IS A DEAD-END STREET...
THE WAY
OF THE UNGODLY IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DEATH!
Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death.
Psalm 1:5-6
5: Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment [they will have no excuse], nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous [they will never see the streets of transparent gold, the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ, nor experience eternal joy and happiness].
6: For the LORD knoweth
the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
IF WE’RE NOT DELIGHTING IN THE PROMISES OF GOD THIS
MORNING, AND WE ARE CHRISTIANS, OUR TESTIMONY TO A DYING WORLD IS THAT THERE IS
NO DELIGHT IN THE LORD.
We have friends who will never enter in to that beautiful city, because they have never heard about Christ and his promises, nor have they witnessed Christ living in the life of the believer.
Every Christian heart should mourn for the lost. There
are multiple millions in this world who are good and deceit people, but have no
real desire to know Christ!
Jeremiah 3:21
A voice was heard upon the high places,
weeping and supplications of the children of
WE OUGHT TO BE WEEPING FOR THE LOST!
WE OUGHT TO BE DELIGHTING
IN THE PROMISES OF GOD…
AND
SHARING THOSE PROMISES WITH THOSE WHO ARE NOW LIVING IN SPRIITUAL DARKNESS,
CHRIST SAYS.
Matthew 5:16
[Jesus said,] Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Let us be ever careful to “walk in the light, as he
is in the light, and have fellowship one with another, that the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son which cleanseth us from all sin,"
might also become a reality for others who are now walking in darkness!
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